There’s another name starting to gain some traction, too, at least among Iowa fans on social media:

Des Moines North point guard Tyreke Locure, a 5-foot-11 speedster who is to central Iowa what Carton is to eastern Iowa.

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Des Moines North junior point guard Tyreke Locure reacts after hitting a three-point field goal against Des Moines Hoover on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018, at Hoover High School in Des Moines.(Photo: Bryon Houlgrave/The Register)

Fans are right to like Locure: He’s averaging 29.6 points, 6.3 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 steals for the No. 2 Polar Bears this season. As a sophomore, he scored 25.6 points per game and ranked second in Class 4A with 167 assists. The year prior, he led 4A freshmen with 13.3 points per game and he topped 4A with 176 assists and 83 steals.

While the Hawkeyes haven't offered, they’re closely monitoring Locure, who holds Drake and North Dakota offers.

On Tuesday, Locure told the Register that Iowa coaches call or text him several times a week. The most recent message came from assistant coach Sherman Dillard, who wrote that he looked forward to talking and getting to know Locure more once Iowa’s season ended, Locure said.

"They just like how I go," Locure said of what Iowa coaches have told him. "I never give up. I never back down from anything. It’s how I attack, it’s how I play ball all around. They just tell me to keep working hard, keep doing your thing and everything’s going to fall into place."

If Carton and Terry are choices No. 1 and 2 for the Hawkeyes, Locure belongs to a small group of point guards in the No. 3 spot. Whether an offer comes could depend on how the chips fall with Carton and Terry.

"I just keep working hard," Locure said. "I’m just going to keep playing my game regardless. Something is eventually going to come to me. It’s going to be a blessing, whether it’s Iowa or not. But, for me personally, I’m just going to keep working hard, keep trying to lead my team to wins and try to win a state championship.

"I feel like one of the best point guards in 2019. I know how hard I work. I know how much time I put in the gym. I don’t care who you are: I’m going to go at you and I expect a challenge right back."

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Des Moines North junior point guard Tyreke Locure runs up court against Des Moines Hoover on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018, at Hoover High School in Des Moines.(Photo: Bryon Houlgrave/The Register)

North head coach Chad Ryan said he receives about five letters regarding Locure from Iowa each week, and that coaches reach out to check in on Locure every now and then.

If that Hawkeye offer doesn’t come, Locure won’t have any shortage of options.

Drake and North Dakota regularly visit and contact him. Other schools that have expressed interest: Creighton, Iowa State, Nebraska-Omaha, South Dakota, Middle Tennessee State and Milwaukee, who watched Locure during North’s 70-60 loss Tuesday night.

Chatter around Locure's recruitment suggests an attitude issue could have previously held him back. Ryan said his junior point guard has learned a lot and matured during his freshman and sophomore seasons, and that any perceived attitude problem now is just Locure's uber-competitiveness.

"If you were playing Tyreke in ping pong, he’d want to beat you. And that’s part of what makes him good," Ryan said. "As a coach, there’s really a fine line on, 'Hey, Tyreke don’t be so competitive.' You don't want to take that away from him. His freshman year, he was a 5-foot-8 point guard leading the state in steals and assists, and without that edge, I don’t know if that happens.

"For him to be the player that he is, he needs to play with an edge. He needs that. It’s not like he’s 6-7, 6-8. He’s 5-11, 6-foot, and at times dominates games. I think if he didn't have that edge, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Locure said he hopes to visit Milwaukee soon, but he and Ryan both said they’ll focus more on his recruitment this spring.

Scouting report

The Register was on hand to watch Locure and North play at Hoover Tuesday night. Locure got in early foul trouble and finished with 21 points, seven assists and two steals. Here’s what we saw:

Offense

Locure has had good hand-eye coordination and vertical ability since his freshman year, and he can finish among the trees with the best of them. He plays a physical brand of basketball. He knows how to draw contact and finish through it, though there were times he forced shots against Hoover — which he acknowledged after the game. He pairs a strong inside game with a nice floater to keep defenders honest in the midrange.

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Des Moines North PG effectively gets inside and draws contact to get to the line.
Matthew Bain

He’s quick and excels in transition, both as a scorer and facilitator. If a defender crowds him on the perimeter, he can blow by and shoot a floater or attack the rim. So, he needs his 3-point shot working have success in the halfcourt. He shot 33 percent from 3-point land last year.

This year? He’s up to 40 percent. His follow-through has improved and his shot rotation is about as good as it gets. His form isn’t picture-perfect — release is a little low — but he can usually create enough space where that isn’t an issue.

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Des Moines North PG Tyreke Locure cans three straight 3-pointers to open the game vs. Des Moines Hoover.
Matthew Bain

He takes advantage of double- or triple-teams to find his teammates for open looks. Again, he does this best when he’s on the move — whether in transition or attacking the basket.

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These are a couple of Des Moines North PG Tyreke Locure’s best passes from North’s 70-60 loss at Des Moines Hoover.
Matthew Bain

Defense

Locure’s early foul trouble put North in a zone defense for most of the game. Normally, it runs a lot of man-to-man and half-court traps, with Locure leading the way. At his size, Locure needs to out-effort his assignments. When he does this, he is a high-level perimeter defender.

He has active hands and instincts to jump passing lanes. For example: During a 20-second span versus Hoover, Locure poked the ball away, scored in transition, immediately reached out to steal the inbound pass and found a teammate for the bucket.

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Des Moines North PG Tyreke Locure steals the ball, scores, steals it again and gets an assist in 20 seconds.
Matthew Bain

Rebounding is an underrated aspect of Locure's game. He isn't a cherry-picking point guard. He'd much rather grab the ball at the rim and lead his team all 94 feet down the floor. His eagerness for contact and his 34-inch vertical help him compete with bigs for rebounds on both sides of the court.

Matthew Bain covers college football and basketball recruiting for the Des Moines Register. He also helps out with Iowa and Iowa State football and basketball coverage for HawkCentral and Cyclone Insider. Contact him at mbain@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @MatthewBain_.